Puzzled

[BigJim13]

I recently took the plunge with my 3 wood and put a DG S200 shaft in it. Almost immediately I noticed tighter dispersion, better feel and more consistent distances. I was surprised.

At the same time I was tinkering with my 3w I was testing driver lofts. I usually use 10.5* but wanted to test lower lofts. I am a high ball hitter naturally. I used the same shaft, Diamana BB 83, and the difference in distance was minimal. I felt like the 9.5 was a bit better.

The bigger problem was that I was hitting the driver roughly the same length as my 3w. Three wood is a TEE CB1. Divers I have tested are Nike VR Pro Lt Ed, R5 TP, Titleist 909d2.

So, is this more a function of loft or shaft? Do i need more or less loft? I went to a heavier driver shaft, I could try an X flex. I could try steel.

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[TrickyPutt]

Loft. Watch the run out after it lands. If there is a fair amount get higher flighted as there is less slowdown drag effects from the air than grass and ground.

 

[limpalong]

The added loft of a 3-wood has much less side spin than the lower lofted driver. You are probably hitting a fairly straight ball, or drawing it a bit, with the 3-wood. That gives you max distance from that club. (Also, the TEE 3-woods are noted for their extreme distance.) Are you seeing any fade to slice with the driver? That left to right ball flight will steal distance.

You say you are a 'high ball hitter'. That's not all bad. But, being a high ball hitter does not necessarily mean you need a lower lofted driver. You will usually have a better chance of hitting a draw with the high lofted club, giving you distance over the lower loft.

There's not a tremendous difference in today's driver heads... other than color and plastic. They are almost all 460 cc. They are all .830 COR. So much is the shaft, its length (shorter can result in more consistency), its torque characteristics, and the spin it imparts to the ball.

This is one thing I enjoy about the adjustable drivers. I could tweak my RBZ to the desired loft. I picked up a couple of the RBZ shaft adapters and stuck in a couple of aftermarket shafts. Didn't take long to come up with the combo that works best... most of the time.

If you can find a Watts or Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy... some sort of big box that has lots of different clubs and a simulator... go spend a few hours hitting different shaft combinations. I bet you could find "that" driver if you found the correct shaft combo.

 

[TheTrueReview]

Jim, a launch monitor on an outdoor range with a teaching pro in supervision will give you the answer.

Eg. In a recent range session I was able to see the different spin rates of my two 2 hybrids (due to their face design). The Ping is a higher spinning, higher flight hybrid which would hold a green from a distance. The Nike is a low spinning rocket (approx 2,000 rpm) that is great off the tee b/c it will cut through wind & hit & run for a mile. So out of the range session, I know (1) Only hit the Nike off the tee or from the fairway if not trying to land on the green, (2) Hit the Ping from the tee (optional), the fairway or the rough.

A session on the launch monitor with the 3 wood & driver side by side would be revealing.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

I could try an X flex.

You should definitely do that and a Blue Board S+ would be sweet!

 

[BigJim13]

The added loft of a 3-wood has much less side spin than the lower lofted driver. You are probably hitting a fairly straight ball, or drawing it a bit, with the 3-wood. That gives you max distance from that club. (Also, the TEE 3-woods are noted for their extreme distance.) Are you seeing any fade to slice with the driver? That left to right ball flight will steal distance.

You say you are a 'high ball hitter'. That's not all bad. But, being a high ball hitter does not necessarily mean you need a lower lofted driver. You will usually have a better chance of hitting a draw with the high lofted club, giving you distance over the lower loft.

There's not a tremendous difference in today's driver heads... other than color and plastic. They are almost all 460 cc. They are all .830 COR. So much is the shaft, its length (shorter can result in more consistency), its torque characteristics, and the spin it imparts to the ball.

This is one thing I enjoy about the adjustable drivers. I could tweak my RBZ to the desired loft. I picked up a couple of the RBZ shaft adapters and stuck in a couple of aftermarket shafts. Didn't take long to come up with the combo that works best... most of the time.

If you can find a Watts or Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy... some sort of big box that has lots of different clubs and a simulator... go spend a few hours hitting different shaft combinations. I bet you could find "that" driver if you found the correct shaft combo.

Not much l-r flight any more. I'm hitting a nice tight draw with both clubs.

 

[BigJim13]

So for fun I took a steel shaft and put it in my 10.5* R5 TP. Holy freakin' rocket. Still high and about the same distance as my 3w. So I pulled it and put the steel shaft into 9.5* R5 TP. Both clubs were about 43", maybe even 42. Will have to wait to see how the 9.5 performs, but I am optimistic.